Nocturnal Panic Attacks - When Anxiety Strikes at Night

When I experienced a nocturnal panic attack, it would always come just as I was drifting off to sleep. It was like a buzzer or alarm would go off in my head. I would bolt wide awake with my heart pounding. I couldn't catch my breath and it felt like someone was pressing down on my chest. Although it had happened many times before, I thought I was going to die every time.

The attacks started when I was a teenager. I told my parents about them and they said it was just a phase and it would pass. Back then, I wasn't having the attacks very often and so I thought they were right. When I started college, the attacks got worse, though. I chalked it up to a busy course schedule and the pressure of exams and graduating.

By the time I got married and had kids, I was having an attack at least one night a week and usually three or more. It certainly wasn't a "phase" and it was getting worse. I was always trying to get through the day without enough sleep. I even got to point where I was afraid to go bed. That's when I started to educate myself and do something about it.

Night-Time Panic Attacks

This woman's story isn't unusual for people who suffer from nocturnal panic attacks.

Panic attacks are a form of panic disorder where sufferers experience a sudden onset of intense feelings of fear, dread or of being trapped usually coupled with physical symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, sweating and shallow breathing. Attacks vary in length - they can be as short as 15 minutes, but some people experience attacks that last much longer.

Nocturnal panic attacks occur when the person is sleeping or right before they go to sleep. Sufferers will often wake up with a racing heartbeat or chest pain with no obvious trigger. It is not clear what causes nocturnal panic attacks exactly, though there are number factors believed to contribute such as stress, heredity and drug/alcohol abuse. Most people who suffer from nocturnal panic attacks also experience them during the day, but some experience nocturnal attacks almost exclusively.

Temporary Ways to Deal with a Nocturnal Panic Attack

There are many ways to try to deal with a panic or anxiety attack when it happens. These techniques can provide temporary relief or at least help you "ride it out".

Talking to someone - having a supportive person to talk to while you're experiencing a panic attack can help distract your mind from the panic or at least provide comfort until it passes.

Slow breathing exercises - breathing slowly through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth using both the diaphragm and abdomen. Be careful not to breathe too quickly as this could trigger hyperventilation and actually make the panic attack worse.

Repeating affirmations - slowly repeat to yourself something like "This is just a panic attack. It will pass and I will be fine". This can have a calming, meditative effect.

Stopping Nocturnal Panic Attacks for Good

These methods may help you cope with a panic attack, but merely coping is not enough. Practical and effective self-treatment have been developed that can help you get your panic attacks under control, reduce their frequency and severity and eventually eliminate them altogether.